Archives: Atlas Obscuras

Insectarium of Montreal

Discover Insectarium of Montreal in Montreal, Québec: The biggest museum dedicated to insects in North America, one of the largest in the world.

Marché Bonsecours

Discover Marché Bonsecours in Montreal, Québec: A historic Montreal market that was the city's agricultural hub for over century.

Totems of Haida Gwaii

Discover Totems of Haida Gwaii in Tlell, British Columbia: Hauntingly beautiful totem poles left by the Haida.

The Hoodoos of Drumheller Valley

Discover The Hoodoos of Drumheller Valley in Drumheller, Alberta: Hoodoos, naturally eroded land formations, stand 20 feet tall in the Canadian badlands.

The Mushroom House

Discover The Mushroom House in Whistler, British Columbia: Home inspired by the crystal rock formation of the Emerald Estates.

The Vault

Discover The Vault in Kananaskis, Alberta: What was to be the world's most secure Cold War document vault ended up as just a few shallow caves.

Pesuta Shipwreck

Discover Pesuta Shipwreck in Tlell, British Columbia: The stunning remnants of this wreck emerge from an otherworldly backdrop of rainforests.

Clifton Hill

Discover Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, Ontario: This Niagara Falls tourist trap is a world bright with neon and curiosities that will inspire love, hate, or a mixture of both.

Midlothian Castle

Discover Midlothian Castle in Burk's Falls, Ontario: A school teacher's massive and terrifying self-built castle.

Dude Chilling Park

Discover Dude Chilling Park in Vancouver, British Columbia: A renegade art installation in a small Vancouver park is now officially sanctioned by the City Parks Department.

Sasquatch Caves

Discover Sasquatch Caves in Hope, British Columbia: A hiking area billed as a possible home to Bigfoot.

Gibeau Orange Julep

Discover Gibeau Orange Julep in Montreal, Québec: The skyline of Montreal includes the silhouette of an unexpected fruit-shaped Canadian staple.

The Diefenbunker

Discover The Diefenbunker in Ottawa, Ontario: Canada's subterranean Cold War museum has doubled as a movie set.

United States–Canada Border Slash

Discover United States–Canada Border Slash in United States / Canada: The entire length of the border is marked by a 20-foot-wide slash through the trees.

Wood Buffalo National Park

Discover Wood Buffalo National Park in Improvement District No. 24, Alberta: The world's largest dark sky preserve is a Canadian park established to preserve the country's last wood bison.

The Empress Hotel

Discover The Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia: This historic Victorian hotel has a scandalous history of affairs and murder.

Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery

Discover Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in Montreal, Québec: Canada's largest graveyard boasts a lot of noteworthy artifacts as well as its own computerized mapping service.

The Gibraltar Point Lighthouse

Discover The Gibraltar Point Lighthouse in Toronto, Ontario: The oldest landmark of Toronto is a testament to shifting sands.

Flowerpot Island

Discover Flowerpot Island in Tobermory, Ontario: Little island known for its massive beachfront "flowerpot" pillars.

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i
To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius. 261 ii
To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design. 480 iii
To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared. 514 iv
To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history. 642 ix
To be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals. 137 v
To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change. 172 vi
To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria). 256 vii
To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. 151 viii
To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features. 98 x
To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation. 168

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